"As for that, Professor, you needn't worry; I can take care of myself." Alan was a bit bewildered by Snape's inexplicable flash of concern and just wanted to get back to his own business.
"Alright, you may go. I will warn Wilkes. Remember not to cause me any trouble." Snape turned his back to Alan, his voice returning to its usual clipped tone.
*I don't think those boys will obediently heed a warning,* Alan thought noncommittally, but he still nodded to Snape and left the office.
Meanwhile, with his back to the door, Snape silently shed two lines of tears, his lips barely moving as he murmured Lily's name.
Alan, having been pulled into the strange conversation, didn't quite grasp Snape's angle, but he had too many projects on his plate to dwell on it.
From then on, Alan officially lived in the Slytherin dormitory. Although he faced cold remarks from the pure-bloods every day, Snape's warning held enough weight to prevent them from resorting to violence in the common room.
However, Alan often felt eyes on him. Returning to the dorms wasn't ideal in that regard; it made his movements predictable and his whereabouts easy to track. It seemed the pure-blood faction hadn't given up, though the Dark Lord's recent downfall had forced them to rein in their more overt aggression for the time being.
Alan also attended the Potters' funeral. Unlike the private services for the Prewett brothers or Marlene McKinnon, this was a massive, public event attended by a sea of mourners. They were the heroes who had supposedly ended Voldemort, after all. Not only did the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry attend, but the entire Wizengamot was present in full ceremonial dress, alongside people from every corner of the wizarding world.
To commemorate the contributions of James, Lily, and Harry, the Ministry even erected statues of the family in Godric's Hollow, concealing them with a permanent charm to keep Muggles from discovering them.
The spectacle felt absurd to Alan. It was as if the crowd wasn't there to remember the Potters, but merely to celebrate the war's end. The funeral had transformed into a bizarre social gathering; people spoke of solemn mourning, yet the smiles behind their hands never quite faded.
Many members of the Wizengamot had been secret supporters of the Dark Lord only weeks prior. Now, they feigned extreme sorrow, hypocritically praising the very people they would have seen executed. The sight made Alan sick. After Dumbledore finished the eulogy, Alan placed a single hyacinth in front of the flower-laden tomb and pulled Hagrid away from the crowd.
Upon returning to Hogwarts, Alan buried himself in his work, shuttling between the library, Hagrid's hut, and the dormitory. He used the grind of research to numb the painful memories. He decided to focus on creating more sophisticated alchemical items, purchasing a vast array of materials through Professor Bones's connections—a venture that cost him over two hundred Galleons.
Several weeks later, a new tool was born.
In the quiet of his dormitory room, a small, silver-white hammer lay on the desk. It was an octagonal tool, thirty centimeters long with a ten-centimeter head. The entire piece was integrated, forged from a blend of Agrippa alloy and goblin mithril that shone like polished steel. The handle was wrapped in a tight layer of dark brown cowhide that fit perfectly in his grip.
Alan hadn't built this as a weapon, but as an auxiliary research tool. He had engraved Analysis and Manifestation runes on one face of the hammerhead. When tapped against an unfamiliar alchemical object, the hammer would reveal the underlying spell patterns, facilitating identification and decryption. It could also pinpoint structural flaws in damaged tools.
On the opposite face, Alan had engraved Solidification and Enhancement runes. Striking an object with this side would strengthen the medium. Repeated hammering would accelerate the fusion of materials and runes, tightening the magical bond.
Finally, on the side of the head, he had engraved a Harmlessness rune. This ensured the hammer possessed no destructive power; even a forceful strike against glass or porcelain would leave the material uncracked.
"As a tool for my research, you shall be called the Invulnerable Hammer," Alan said, giving the item a functional, if uninspired, name. "Now, let's see if you work."
He took off his monocle and placed it on the desk. Raising the hammer in his right hand, he aimed the Solidification face at the lens. Better safe than sorry—he used very little force, gently tapping the glass.
*Clink.* A crisp metallic sound echoed. Alan felt the hammer draw a wisp of magic from his hand, channeling it through the handle to the runes on the face, which then settled into the lens. He pulled the hammer back; the monocle was perfectly intact.
Gaining confidence, he began a rhythmic tapping. After a few minutes of work, the runes on the monocle began to shimmer with a faint, dazzling glow. He picked up the lens and focused his magic. He could feel that the brass and the runes had essentially merged into a single entity. When he put it on and cast an Echo Spell, the images were significantly sharper and more three-dimensional than before.
"The effect is even better than I hoped," he mused.
Next, he pulled out the amulet Lily had given him. He aimed the Analysis side at the pendant and began to tap it gently. After a few strikes, a set of overlapping, complex spell patterns projected into the air—the original runes Lily had engraved.
Alan quickly sketched the patterns, intending to study them so he could eventually repair the piece. He had never tried to replicate the amulet before, mainly because he hadn't mastered the Shield Charms required for the base. However, his recent training suggested his magic channels were finally strong enough to support the high-energy output needed for such advanced work.
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Bonus Chapters because we crossed 1M views.